Paper fastener



Sept@y `6, i

P. sTELLMAcH PAPER FASTENER- Filed Deo.` so. 1926 @EEE CII

Patented Sept. 6, i927.Y

secured. y

I PAUL STELLMACH, or BROOKLYN, Naw Yonai,

' Parana FASTENER.

Application filed December 30, 1936. Serial No. 157,977.'

f' This invention relates to improvements in paper' fasteners,loose-leaf binders, andthe like, and has particular reference to suchdevices which embody tongues which are adapted to be folded over on a4clamping platev after passingthrough the papers'to be Heretofore,similar` fasteners have in#` eluded a base plate initially formed withtongues of'reduced width extending out-y wardly from its ends. Theproduction of such devices have necessarily involved `considera-blewastage `of metal stock, andl it is anobj ect of the presentk inventionto reduce such scrap or waste to a minimum.

Another obj ect is to provide such a device with a base which will beespecially strong yet light in weight, and exceedingly compact forpurposes ofl storage and sliipnjient.

Another object to provide such a device withy a vpiurality of tonguesVarranged in pairs whereby a more secure fastening will be effected. n

VIAanother object is to provide such a device which will be simple inconstruction, economical in manufacture, convenient for use, and asubstantial improvement in the yart.

Other objects and advantages will readily vappear from the followingdescription when talien in connection with the accompanying drawings,wherein one form of the inven-l tion is shown' by way of illustrationand wherein Figure 1 is a top plan view of the body of the improvedpaper fastener in condition for packaging;

y Figure 2 is a similar view of one form1 of clamping plate which maypreferably be employed iii conjunction with the improved fastener; YFigure 3 is a longitudinal,V sectional view on line 3 3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4L is a similar view showing the paper engaging tongues bentoutwardly from the base, in condition for insertion throughV a pluralityof sheets of paper or the like;

Figure 5 is a similar sectional View through the complete fastener andclamping plate, in association with the papers Vheld to= gether; and

Figure 6 is a vdetail perspective view'of the two parts which make upthe body of the improved fastener and showing said two parts separatedas immediately prior to their assembly. Y f

The improved paper fastener of the present invention includes a mainbody portion .1.0, with which. preferably employed.y a

clamping Yplate 11, the papers or the like to be fastened together beingdisposed between said body portion and clamping plate. `Preferablythexbody portion 10 is formed of a double thickness of ductile sheetmaterial andA has been shown in the drawings as includinga pair ofsuperimposed plates 12 and 13 which are of substantially rectangularoutline and similar to each other in all respects. lVhen the fastener isin condition for use it has a pluralityV of tongueswhich extendlsubstantially at rightangles to theY plane of the base plates 12 and 13said tongues being arranged in coi-extensive pairs intermediate the endsof said plates. For example, as best shown .in Figs. l and 6, a

vpair of tongues 14 and 15 extend upwardlyv y from the base adjacent oneend thereof, y While similar tongues 16 and 17 entend in 'thesamedirection vadjacent the other end of the base. In order that the devicemay bemanufactured with a minimum amount of waste in material, thetongues 14 to 17, inclusive, are integralwith the base plates anddeiected 'upwardly therefrom in such a manner as to' leave asubstantially central perforation 18. It follows from this that thetongues are of less width than the base plates, and of course theproportions may be varied as desired to suit requirements of the trade.y Y

The clamping plate 11 is also preferably formed of slieet'metal or othersuitable stiff material wherebyto reinforce the' papers which are boundtogether, and' is provided adjacent" its opposite ends with preferablyrectangular apertures 19 and 2O which are spaced apart a distance equalto the distance between the pairs of co-eXtensivetongues. In the use ofthe device the tongues 1d, 15 and 16, 17 are projected through aplurality ofsheets ofpaper'A, as shown in Fig. 5, after which theclamping plate 11 is applied,

said tongues passing through the respective apertures 19 and 20. Whenthe clamping plate 11 then comes to rest on top of the papers A, thetongues 14: and 15 ymay be bent away from each other in such a manner asto overlie the 4clamping plate and the papers, and similarly the tongues16 and 1'1"V may be bent away from each other for the l same purpose. ltwill be obvious that this construction provides a particularlyadvantageous paper fastener, in that there is praetically no possibilityfor the deflected tongues to become loose therehy inipairing theutilityY of the deviee. If desiredl` the elanipingl plate ll mayv heprovided with either stationary or adjustable means for ainzhoriirer theends of the tongues, such means lining u'ell known to those slcilled inthe art and Capable of being Ver)v easiliv applied te the inesentfastener. ln that case, it .might of eourse he desirable to forni therlamping `late lll of greater length than the l ase plates 1Q and 13:

By aai' ol reinforcing the hase plates 'l2 and lil in order tocompensatie for the removed material from the perforation lll, the saidhare plate-A are preferahlv formed 'with longitudinal rili, L whichextend lietn'een the side edges ol. the hase plates and at op positesides of said perforation lll. tiaid rilis can liest he fornied hyembossing; dies, and the result that, such rihs on thev lower plate 13nill lit into eorrespendingY `grooves on the lower side ot the plate1;?. whereby to cooperate in holdine' the .said plates against lateralnioren'ient with respect to each other. The tongues lll, lli and 1.7 canvery easil)v he delined in outline hy a punching operation` which infact inin'des the hase plates with an ll-shaped slit and preferahly thecross-slit El is spaeed to one :side of the transverse center of theplate in auch a manner that the 'ouffnes ll and 'iti will he longer thanthe tongues` l5 and li'. tilueh a ditlerence in length is usuallyYprovided in order that 'the tonfi'ues may lic more eusil)v heut awayfrom each other after lieinn' pasaufl through the papers to he heldtogether, and with this construction the superimpowd plates l2 and l?)are identical in detail. with the exception that said cross* Aslit fillin one plate is disposed to the right of the transverse centen, while inthe other plaie it is disposed to the left of the center. ln otherWords, they are staggered. In order to more lirinl)v secure the haseplates l2 and lll together, any siiitahle fastening` means unir heemployed. For example, the)Y have heen illustrated in the drawings as`provided at their opposite ends with rei'ersely lient ears Eel; "whichare formed from three-sided perlorations 25 and lient down against theupper surface of the plate lil. lt to he, underitood that the thicknessof the material has necessarily heen exaggerated in the,

drawings, and that With the thin stock from wh ich the improvedpape1'-fastener is formed .said ears et mayv he providedwithoutforiningi an);Y undesirable roughness or projection forcontai'rtinp' the lowermost paper.

Frein the foregoing, it will he evident that a substantial advance hasheen made in the art hy providing a paper fastener which will, gire amore secure landing' than prior art devices, and which can hemanufaetm-ed at considerablyv lower cost. `lilince the paper engagingtongues are formed frein deflected portions of the hase member, and asaAthey are not necessarily deflected until they are deaired for use sachpaper fasteners can he parked much more conveniently than those` inwhich the tongues are initiallyT detleeted 'from their hases. Olniously,the invention is susceptihle of numerous modifications in ille details.of constuetion and arrangement of parts7 and the right is hereinreserved to make sueh changes as fall 'within the scope of the appendedclaimt` without ('lepartii'izg` from the spirit of the invention.

HarinaY thus deserihed my invention, what l claim is:

l. ,l paper faetener formed of a pair of superimposed sheets of d uetilematerial vforming a hase. and a pair of eo-extensive, tongues deflectedoutwardly 4from a perforated portion of the base.

l. ,l paper fastener haring; a hase memher formed of a douhle thicknessof duetile sheet metal, and harina' a plurality of tongues arranped inspaeed apart (1o-extensive pairs, the to `les heling.;l of less widththan the hase, and oeing deflected outufardli7 therefrom leai'ine' aperforation.

il. ln a paper fastener, in combination, a hase ineniher formed of adouhle thickness ot diietile sheet niaterial, a plurality of tonguesextending` at rin'ht angles to the plane of the hase mouiller andadapted to lle passed through the papers to he :fastened= and aclamping* plate adapted to overlie the paper, the clamping plate heiligslotted for the passage of said tongues, and the tongues lieine'arranged in eo-extenairi-i pairs, the individual tongues of eaeh pairlining adapted to he lient in oppositie directions on the outer side otthe clanipine plate.

PAUL SlELLMlMlH.

Fltl

